Olympics could disrupt business communications this summer

Published on 16/02/2012

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CCS, the independent leased line, web hosting and broadband internet provider, has warned that businesses could lose their internet connections during the Olympics this summer as online traffic rockets.

Leeds-based CCS says demand for streaming media and services live the BBC’s iPlayer could mean that some companies will be forced to ration internet access if they are to keep critical internet functions working.

CCS managing director Peter Knapp said: “A lot of businesses have still not prepared for the enormous risks presented by the 2012 Games – many companies will be avoiding London this summer because there has been a lot of talk about traffic snarl ups, but there has been little discussion about potential internet traffic problems.

“Many companies are encouraging staff to avoid London during the Olympics and work from home but the reality is they may not be able to if they cannot access the internet.”

CCS say their warning echoes similar concerns from the Cabinet Office which has issued concerns in its official advice, Preparing your Business For The Games. It says: “It is possible that internet services may be slower during the Games or, in very severe cases, there may be dropouts due to an increased number of people accessing the internet.”

Mr Knapp said that companies need to examine whether their IT systems would be capable of allowing staff to work from home and whether their ISPs have sufficient capacity to deal with the upsurge. He added: “Our new data centre in Leeds will be immune to any problems but, nevertheless, we are advising customers, particularly those in the south to take measures now to protect themselves from any outages.”

Meanwhile, telecommunications companies are struggling to put new lines in and around the capital before manhole covers and other access point are secured throughout the Games as a precaution against any terrorist activities.

CCS recently opened a new data centre, following a £150,000 investment by in its Leeds facilities, which can house 4,800 servers cooled by an eco-friendly air conditioning system which will significantly reduce the company’s energy costs and carbon emissions.